1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for creating an animation having a presenting time specific to each frame by a computer and computer-readable recording media in which an animation creating program is recorded. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for creating an animation and a computer-readable recording medium in which an animation creating program, capable of readily determining the above mentioned presenting time.
2. Description of the Background Art
Moving image data such as those forming an animation consists of an extremely large number of images called frames. Some methods have been proposed and come in practice as methods of creating an animation having a motion whose timing is arbitrarily adjusted.
As a first example, a method of creating an animation in synchronization with a sound using a Director (product name), which is an authoring software produced by Macromedia Corporation, will be described.
FIGS. 17, 18A and 18B respectively show a table called a score and casts for controlling an animation used in the Director. Columns of the score shown in FIG. 17 include channels such as a sound channel 1001, animation channel 1002, and tempo channel 1009, whereas rows include a plurality of frames 1003 of an animation changing with passage of time. Thus, a single row is regarded as a single frame 1003. In the Director, a cell 1004 is positioned at the intersection of each channel (each column) and each frame 1003 (each row) in the score. The animation is created by making sound data 1001, image data 1102 or the like in FIGS. 18A and 18B, which is called as a cast, correspond to cell 1004.
Referring to FIGS. 18A and 18B, each cast is denoted by a cast number 1103. As shown in FIG. 17, cell 1004 in the score which corresponds to each cast is generally denoted by a cast number 1005. Although cast number 1005 is exemplified as {circle around (11)} here, actually, the number is not denoted with a circle. The casts in FIGS. 18A and 18B which are related to the score in FIG. 17 are referred to as sprites.
As a plurality of sprites corresponding to the same cast number 1005 are arranged in a column in sound channel 1001 of the Director, the plurality of sprites are processed as single sound data. For example, for the sprites of cast number 1005 (cast number {circle around (11)}) corresponding to each sound channel 1001 of four frames 1003 as shown in FIG. 17, regeneration of the sound data is started at a time corresponding to the first frame 1003 at the left end in the score, and finished at a time corresponding to the last frame 1003 at the right end in the score.
In the score, the sprites corresponding to the same frame 1003 are regenerated at the same time. In the score shown in FIG. 17, for example, all the sprites corresponding to the same frame 1003, that is, the sprite corresponding to cast number {circle around (11)} (sound data 1101) and that corresponding to cast number {circle around (21)} (image data 1102), are regenerated at the same time.
FIG. 19 shows an exemplary layout of a tempo setting screen used in the Director. On the tempo setting screen, generally, the number of frames 1003 corresponding to one second is determined by operating a slider 1303. When a selection button 1304 (1305) is selected, the operation of slider 1303 is neglected. When regeneration of sound data 1101 corresponding to any of at least one sound channel 1001 is finished, a displaying process for next frame 1003 is started.
The time during which each frame 1003 in the score is presented to the animation is controlled by a tempo channel 1009. The tempo setting screen layout shown in FIG. 19 corresponds to cell 1004 for tempo channel 1009. Numbers 1031 to 1034 of the corresponding tempo setting screen layouts are displayed on the cells. p Next, a second example will be described. Among a variety of video editing methods using a computer, there is a method of editing a video after sounds are visually edited as a waveform to facilitate an operation of synchronization adjustment. An exemplary user interface for such editing method is shown in FIG. 20. In the editing method, an image track 1402 for the video is brought into synchronization with a sound track 1401 in which the sound is displayed as the waveform. More specifically, at image track 1402, each image is moved to a position corresponding to that portion of the waveform in sound track 1401 which indicates the corresponding sound by an inputting device such as a mouse.
A third example will be described as the art disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-324777. In the aforementioned laid-open application, a difference between regeneration times for video and sound data is detected. Based on the detected difference, a reading time interval for regenerating one data is adjusted to that for the other data, so that video and sound data are regenerated in synchronization to each other.
Referring to FIG. 21, a procedure for bringing the animation created by image data 1102 into synchronization with sound data 1101 using the Director in the above described first example will be described. It is noted that sound data 1101 consists of sounds xe2x80x9cichi, ni, san, shi.xe2x80x9d
First, an initial value xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d is set for a variable i indicating an order of frames (S1201). Then, sound and image data 1101 and 1102 are regenerated (screen display and sound output) (S1202), a determination is made as to whether image data 1102 (cast number {circle around (22)}) of the second (i=2) frame is in synchronization with sound data 1101 corresponding to the sound xe2x80x9cnixe2x80x9d (S1203). If a timing for regenerating image data 1102 is faster, the tempo setting screen layout shown in FIG. 19 corresponding to tempo channel 1009 of the first (i=1) frame is displayed, and slider 1303 is operated, such that the timing for regenerating image data 1102 is set slightly later (S1205). Next, sound and image data 1101 and 1102 are again regenerated (S1202). If the timing for regenerating sound data 1101 is faster, the tempo setting screen layout shown in FIG. 19 corresponding to tempo channel 1009 of the first (i=1) frame is displayed, and slider 1303 is operated such that the timing for regenerating image data 1102 is set slightly faster (S1204).
When synchronization of image data 1102 and sound data 1101 for the second (i=2) frame is achieved by such repetition of adjusting processes (S1202 to 1205), the process proceeds to the adjustment for the next (i=3) frame (S1207).
The above described adjusting processes are similarly repeated for image data 1102 corresponding to each of sound data 1101 (i=3) corresponding to xe2x80x9csanxe2x80x9d and sound data 1101 (i=4) corresponding to xe2x80x9cshi.xe2x80x9d
When an animation including only image is to be created without any sound, in order to achieve a precise animation having a motion changing with passage of time as desired by the producer, a procedure similar to that according to the flow chart shown in FIG. 21 is required. Thus, a laborious and complicated operation is required for creating the animation. Naturally, when an animation consists of a large number of frames is to be created, the level of such laborious operation further increases.
When synchronization of an animation of image data and sound data is to be achieved in the video editing system utilizing a waveform of the sound data which has been described as the second example, it is not easy to determine to which portion of the sound data the image data for each frame correspond while referring to the waveform of sound data over a long period of time. Therefore, a process shown in FIG. 21 is required for regenerating the sound data and image data of the animation to detect portions which are not in synchronization with each other and, based on the detection result, successively correcting the portions starting from a regeneration starting point. Thus, a complicated and laborious operation is required also for the second example.
In the Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-324777 which has been described as the third example, synchronization of image and sound data is to be achieved when the corresponding portions (fragments) are preliminary given. In the aforementioned laid-open application, a method of extracting the corresponding portions from the image and sound data is not disclosed. For example, the aforementioned laid-open application No. 4-324777 can be applied only when it is assumed that the image and sound data for which one shot (a unit of filming) corresponds to a small number of words have preliminary been extracted. However, when synchronization of image and sound data over a long period of time is to be achieved, synchronization of starting and ending points of the overall data is readily be achieved. However, to bring the image and sound data, especially in the middle portion, completely in synchronization with each other, a complicated and laborious operation is required. In other words, all of the corresponding portions of the image and sound data must be separately extracted as a plurality of pieces of data by some system. Then, for each of the prepared plurality of pieces of data, a process of synchronization adjustment according to the aforementioned laid-open application No. 4-324777 must disadvantageously be performed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for creating an animation having a motion changing with passage of time as desired by a producer while requiring less operation time, and to provide a computer-readable recording medium in which an animation creating program for executing an animation creating method with a computer is recorded.
To achieve the aforementioned object, the method of creating the animation according to the present invention includes: an indication signal inputting step; a time determining step; and a recording step, where the steps are:performed in passage of time at an arbitrary speed. In the indication signal inputting step, a timing indication signal indicating a timing corresponding to a boundary between adjacent frames is input for each of a plurality of frames for the animation. In the time determining step, a time during which each of the plurality of frames is presented to the animation is determined in accordance with the input timing indication signal. In the recording step, information indicating the determined time is recorded on the medium for each of the plurality of frames.
Therefore, the producer can intuitively input a signal indicating a timing at desired intervals in real time. Unlike the conventional method of sequentially adjusting and determining the presenting time for each frame starting from the first frame for the animation, the present invention enables the presenting time to be determined and recorded in a short period of time.
In the method of creating the animation, the aforementioned indication signal inputting step may include an information regenerating step and a first signal inputting step. In the information regenerating step, preliminary recorded guide track information (information to be referenced for identifying the boundary between the frames) is regenerated at a regeneration rate in accordance with the aforementioned arbitrary speed for output. In the first signal inputting step, the timing indication signal is output in accordance with information output by the information regenerating step for each of the plurality of flames.
The timing indication signal can be input in accordance with the regenerated and output guide track information. Thus, the presenting time for each frame is determined and recorded in a much shorter period of time as compared with the conventional case.
As the timing indication signal is input in accordance with the regenerated and output guide track information, creation of an animation in synchronization with the guide track information is facilitated.
In the method of creating the animation, the plurality of frames may be key frames. In this case, a presenting time for each key frame can be determined and recorded in a shorter period of time as compared with the conventional case.
In the method of creating the animation, the guide track information relates to sounds. Thus, information related to sounds such as waveform of sound signal information or note information is regenerated at the regeneration rate in accordance with the arbitrary speed in passage of time at the arbitrary speed. Thus, the presenting time for each frame can be easily determined while listening to the output sounds. In addition, creation of the animation in synchronization with sounds is facilitated.
In the method of creating the animation, the guide track information relates to a dynamic image. The information regenerating step includes an image synthesizing and displaying step for synthesizing each of the plurality of frames with the dynamic image information while regenerating the dynamic image information at the regeneration rate in accordance with the arbitrary speed for display. Thus, the producer can readily determine the presenting time for each frame while looking at the synthesized image. In addition, an animation in which the frame is synthesized with the dynamic image in synchronization is readily created.
In the method of creating the animation, the guide track information indicates passage of time at an arbitrary speed. In the information regenerating step, a metronome signal is generated and output in accordance with a prescribed tempo based on the time information indicated by the guide track information. Thus, even when an animation which is not related to the timing information as to sounds or the like, a motion at an objective rate in accordance with the metronome signal can readily be added to the animation.
In the method of creating the animation, the information regenerating step includes first and second steps. In the first step, preliminary recorded guide track information is regenerated at a regeneration rate in accordance with the above mentioned arbitrary speed. In the second step, the regenerated guide track information is input, and output as the timing indication signal through a filter having a prescribed extracting condition. Thus, when the guide track information is waveform information of a sound signal, the timing indication signal corresponding to the boundary for the frames can correctly be input as compared with the case where the timing indication signal is input by the producer.
When the guide track information is related to a dynamic image, the boundary of shots (units of filming) is detected by the filter having the prescribed extracting condition. Thus, the timing indication signal can automatically and correctly be generated.
To achieve the aforementioned object, a method of creating an animation according to another aspect of the present invention includes a portion determining step, a presenting time determining step and a recording step. In the portion determining step, for each of the plurality of frames forming the animation, corresponding partial information of the guide track information is determined by using the guide track information which has been output from the filter having an arbitrary extracting condition. In the presenting time determining step, a time during which each of the plurality of frames is presented to the animation is determined in accordance with the determined partial information. In the recording step, for each of the plurality of frames, the presenting time determined by the presenting time determining step is recorded onto a medium.
In the above described of creating the animation, the presenting time for each of the plurality of frames is not determined in passage of time at an arbitrary speed. Namely, a portion of the guide track information (partial information) corresponding to each of the plurality of frames is obtained and the presenting time for each frame is determined in accordance with the determined partial information by the portion determining step and presenting time determining step. Therefore, when a real time process for creating the animation is difficult because of a load from the process of extracting the timing indication signal in accordance with the guide track information, the method of creating the animation is particularly effective.
To achieve the aforementioned object, an apparatus for creating an animation according to the present invention includes: an indication signal inputting portion, a time determining portion and a recording portion for performing the step in passage of time at an arbitrary speed. In the indication signal inputting portion, a timing indication signal indicating a timing corresponding to a boundary between adjacent frames is input for each of the plurality of frames for the animation. In the time determining portion, a time during which each of the plurality of frames is presented to the animation is determined in accordance with the input timing indication signal. In the recording portion, information indicating the determined time is recorded onto a medium for each of the plurality of frames.
Thus, a producer can intuitively input a signal indicating a timing at desired intervals in real time. Unlike the conventional method of sequentially adjusting and determining the presenting time for each frame starting from the first frame for the animation, the presenting time can be determined and recorded in a short period of time.
To achieve the aforementioned object, a computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention has an animation creating program recorded therein for executing with a computer an animation creating method. The animation creating method includes an indication signal inputting step, a time determining step and a recording step, where the steps are performed in passage of time at an arbitrary speed. In the indication signal inputting step, a timing indication signal indicating a time corresponding to a boundary between adjacent frames is input for each of the plurality of frames for the animation. In the time determining step, a time during which each of the plurality of frames is presented to the animation is determined in accordance with the input timing indication signal. In the recording step, information indicating the determined time is recorded on the medium for each of the plurality of frames.
Thus, a producer can intuitively input the signal indicating the timing at desired intervals in real time. Therefore, unlike the conventional method of sequentially adjusting and determining the presenting time for each frame starting from the first frame for the animation, the presenting time can be determined and recorded in a short period of time.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.